Straight Man: A Novel

Those who ever have experienced life as a college faculty member will chuckle, laugh, shed a tear or two because they know exactly what Russo is presenting. Very entertaining and very insightful. A very good read.

Amidst the riotous thoughts, Russo builds a story that almost seems banal on the surface, but nevertheless grips the readers and holds them to the finish. it's a story of life, perhaps a bit trite, but very real. Best of all, among the chuckles and riotous laughs there are deep, poignant observations about life, men and relationships. Finally, if you are in academia, this will seem so familiar.

Twist and turns of a college English professor who plays the straight man to drama turned satire in life on and off campus. Middle age male view of life born out of small town Pennsylvania. ?? Another screen play in the works?

A good book but the last chapter was cheap. Russo didn't really have a plausible end to this book so he made everybody implausibly happy. It would've been better if he just quit and had no end chapter.

Very humorous with one too many twists. However I am sure I will be reading many more Richard Russo books because although I am a bit older than he I identify with his view of the typical American workplace (corporate or academic). Too much politics.

Straight up genius at expressing life in a small collegte town. The marginally successful characters still strive for notoriety and success. Hank is the temporary English Department chair and readers will relate to him well. Excellent read!

Richard Russo’s novel is a funny and eloquent look of a middle-aged academic who is not particularly happy with his life. He thinks his wife is cheating on him, and his colleagues are plotting against him. His spoiled daughter’s marriage is on the cusp of falling apart, and though he’s a professional writer his secretary is writing more than he is. And the worst thing is that he cannot pee.

Richard Russo is a gifted writer, and he can be at times hilarious. The characters are very much real and believable, but the plot is something to be desired. The book doesn’t go very far; in fact, it pretty much ends up where it started, except that the protagonist is finally able to pee. If there’s a message in this book, it’s that you shouldn’t work in an English department at a mediocre university in the middle of nowhere because you won’t be able to pee.

Richard Russo is one of the finest authors alive. The joy of his writing is that it is so beautifully crafted you never get the sense that he's "Writing." While "Empire Falls" and "Nobody's Fool" may be considered his masterpieces, "Straight Man" is the funniest book I've ever read. Laugh out loud funny. And like his other books, it is full of richly developed characters that always ring true.

A well written and hilarious story of academia life. As a retired Army NCO and retired teacher at both the secondary and post secondary levels, I could relate to the and identify with the characters and situations, especially the funding. Needless to say I also related with the senior male problems as described in such a funny and accurate way. This book not only made me laugh out loud, it lifted my spirits and made me happy.

Richard Russo combines intelligence, humor, and his deep understanding of human nature in his story of a mediocre professor at a mediocre college struggling to meet his commitments to the college, to his wife, and to his daughter. Russo enjoys sticking needles into the sorts of people that overpopulate a college: the incompetent administrators, the professors who treat the most trivial college disputes as world changing events, the hack teachers, the lazy, and determined to remain ignorant students...and Russo clearly loves all of them.

Any of Russo's many fans will enjoy the "Straight Man", but it is especially enjoyable for those of us who remember our college days as being four, or five or seven special years in our lives. The two Russo books worth reading and re-reading are "Nobody's Fool" and "Straight Man"

Empire Falls, The Risk Pool, Nobody's Fool, all top notch efforts from a solid writer. But on Straight Man, I'll have to pass. Maybe it's the subject matter and not the writing. College was a long time ago for me but I still sometimes have nightmares about the idiot professors who had my future in their hands. So for me it's just not interesting. And on top of that, who edited this thing anyway? The glaring typos in the text are dumbfounding. Or are the obvious typos a part of the satire? Anyway, I still think Russo is one of our best writers, but he fumbled this one.

This books is a great read. Written in first person, the main character is an "ordinary" professor, but with a great eye for the ironic, and the humor in the current moment. Not so much laugh out loud, but the humor of the intelligent person who sees the flaws in themselves and others with clarity and compassion. Feel good, but not too sweet.

This was a book club choice and, after having read it, our group's reactions really ranged across the board. Most either loved or loathed it - no one really fell in the middle. I happened to love it.

The narration is smug and self-absorbed, but once past that it's really a funny story with a lot of literary easter eggs peppered through the dialog. It probably could have been 50 pages shorter and had a minor, rather ridiculous subplot removed, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed it. A smart, fun read.

Richard Russo is becoming one of my favorite authors. I've read about 4 or 5 of his books - all exceptional storytelling and writing. This one is laugh-out-loud funny. Do yourself a favor, if you need a laugh - read this book.

And very self-indulgent. Of course, the main character was the most self-destructive and self-indulgent character in my entire reading experience. And your requirement for a minimum # of words in a review is pomposity personified!

Trials and tribulations in the academic world as seen through the eyes of William Henry "Hank" Devereaux, Jr., Chair of a university's English Department. There are many laugh-out-loud moments to enjoy in this fine work by Russo. Although Devereaux is not particularly likable at times, you can sympathize with his predicament of dealing with cantankerous faculty members while trying to get his own job done successfully. He also has to deal with a physical problem that often afflicts older men along with a family issue involving his daughter, Julie, and her disagreeable husband.
An excellent read in all respects.

The humor and superb writing style in this novel make it worthwhile for everyone, but its approach to issues that many academic institutions face make it essential reading for both educators and administrators. I make sure that every new hire in our department gets a copy, so the lighter side of a difficult job can be appreciated.

Russo's STRAIGHT MAN is entertaining for a former teacher like me, and much of its pleasure comes from the comedy -- developed mainly through closely detailed characterization and traditional comedic plot lines set in a college English department. Toward the s last third of the novel, I noticed clear -- call them obvious -- references to literary options a writer could employ to develop the same portion. All were worked very neatly into the narrative. Quite possibly they appear throughout the story; I just noticed them toward the final third of the piece. All in all, it is a delightful read.